Muffled vocals from Totem Sky & Musical Fidelity M5si

[rab]

I have a pair of Totem Sky driven by Musical Fidelity M5si. Right from the get-go the sound has been muffled, particularly with vocals. I hear this with vinyl, CDs, and digital sources. I have tried more break-in, probably at least 60 hours at this point, but it does not seem to be improving. Is this a bum pair? Or maybe a bad amp pairing? I’ve tried different placements, but the issue is quite pronounced in any configuration. I bought the speakers and amp as a pair and so haven’t been able to try them independently of each other.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Might be a dumb question, but are both tweeters actually working? If you put an ear right next to them (avoiding excessive volume, obvs.) you'll know. It doesn't seem to be something you'd expect from those speakers otherwise, and MF amps don't tend to be lacking in clarity.

 

[Al ears]

Might be a dumb question, but are both tweeters actually working? If you put an ear right next to them (avoiding excessive volume, obvs.) you'll know. It doesn't seem to be something you'd expect from those speakers otherwise, and MF amps don't tend to be lacking in clarity.

It is possible you have a duff pair of speakers but doubtful.
No reason this pairing should not sound great.
How have you got them wired up?
Did you buy them from a shop?

 

[daytona600]

Are speakers in phase
Can you borrow/try other speakers or amp
Are you bi-wiring or single wire & correct connection between HF/LF terminals
Are both drivers working ! try some test tones online or Test LP/CD

 

[nopiano]

Are speakers in phase
Can you borrow/try other speakers or amp
Are you bi-wiring or single wire & correct connection between HF/LF terminals
Are both drivers working ! try some test tones online or Test LP/CD
View attachment 7498

If those links are missing you might only be hearing the woofer/mid.

Who is taking bets?

 

[Al ears]

I might suggest taking the speakers to a dealership or friend and getting them to wire them up to their system. Still sound muffled??
Did you buy the pair without auditioning?
From a dealer or from someone else?
Unfortunately speakers do not dramatically improve over time. If they don't sound right from the outset don't buy them, unfortunately this sort of advice is not going to help you in this particular situation.

 

[rab]

Thanks for all the great questions to consider.

After listening up close (I can't believe I didn't do this earlier) -- BOTH tweeters seem to be completely silent!

They're wired up single-wire, with the gold-plated links installed. If I remove the links and connect the wires only to the upper terminals, the speakers are completely silent. If I connect the wires only to the lower terminals, the woofers work but the tweeters are silent - and I can hear now this has been the problem all along.

I bought speakers & amp from a reputable shop. I auditioned the speakers beforehand, but were they this exact pair, or a floor model? I don't recall.

 

[Gray]

Thanks for all the great questions to consider.

After listening up close (I can't believe I didn't do this earlier) -- BOTH tweeters seem to be completely silent!

They're wired up single-wire, with the gold-plated links installed. If I remove the links and connect the wires only to the upper terminals, the speakers are completely silent. If I connect the wires only to the lower terminals, the woofers work but the tweeters are silent - and I can hear now this has been the problem all along.

I bought speakers & amp from a reputable shop. I auditioned the speakers beforehand, but were they this exact pair, or a floor model? I don't recall.

No wonder they sound muffled Rab.
Surely couldn't have been what you heard in the demo.

We'll all be interested to know the answer.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

After listening up close (I can't believe I didn't do this earlier) -- BOTH tweeters seem to be completely silent!

Lawks! I was right about something after all these years...

Back to the dealer ASAP.